Automatic feeding apparatus for flat, circular articles



S. S. AlDLlN Feb. 9, 1965 AUTOMATIC FEEDING APPARATUS FOR FLAT, CIRCULAR ARTICLES Filed Sept. 14, 1961 INVENTOR. SAMUEL S AIDLIN ATTOTQNEY United States Patent Ofifice.

3,168,949 Patented Feb. 9, 1965 3,168,949 AUTOMATEC FEEDHNG APPARATUS FOR FLAT, CERQZULAR ARTKCLES Samuel S. Aidlin, New York, NY. (2045 E. 22nd Sh, Brooklyn, FLY.) Filed Sept. 14, 1961, Ser. No. teams 2 Claims. (Cl. 1983li) The present invention relates to automatic feeding apparatus and, more particularly, to automatic feeding apparatus of the hopper type, especially to such hopper feed type apparatus for unscrambling and successively feeding disc-shaped articles.

It is an object of the present invention to provide apparatus of the character described that will feed flat, circular articles, such as washers, or the like, one at a time, and in flat, unscrambled relation, to a predetermined point.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide automatic feeding apparatus of the character described capable of orienting, as well as feeding, circular discshaped articles which may require orientation, such as disc-shaped articles having their two edges of different shape, as right-angled and bevelled or curved; or bevelled or curved to different degrees.

It is another object of the present invention to provide automatic feeding apparatus of the character described which will feed such articles at a high rate of speed.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide automatic feeding apparatus of the character described which will operate smoothly and evenly and will not readily jam or go out of order.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide automatic feeding apparatus of the character described that will operate with a minimum of vibration and noise.

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide automatic feeding apparatus of the character described that is of relatively simple construction; that is compact; that is sturdy; and that is economical to produce and to operate.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the automatic, hopper-type, feeding apparatus of the present invention will become more readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the embodiment thereof shown in the accompanying drawing and from the description following. It is to be understood, however, that such embodiment is shown by way of illustration only, to make the principles and practice of the invention more readily comprehensible, and without any intent of limiting the invention to the specific details therein shown.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional and partly elevational view of one embodiment of an automatic feeding apparatus made according to the present invention; partly broken away to clarify detailsof construction;

FIG. 2 is a view looking into the apparatus of FIG. 1 from above;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary, enlarged section taken on line 33 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary view of a modified form of rotary disc and ramp for the apparatus of the invention;

FIG. 5 is a section taken on line 55 of FIG. 4.

Generally stated, the invention resides in the provision of a cylindrical hopper which is stationary and within which a rotary, closely-fitting circular plate both, unscrambles the flat circular articles or discs, orients them, where required, and disposes them on a ramp along which they are moved out of the hopper to a predetermined destination. The unscrambling, orienting, and moving of the discs is effected by a track into which the discs fall or are pushed; such track consisting of a fiat-bottom recess of a depth not exceeding the thickness of a disc and of a width slightly wider than the diameter of a disc, which recess is formed in the marginal peripheral surface of the rotary plate; the track being defined between an inner normal shoulder of the recess and the wall of the hopper.

More specifically stated, and with particular reference to the embodiment of the invention shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 of the drawings, the apparatus of the invention comprises a hollow cylinder 10, preferably formed of sheet metal, which is supported, in fixed position, as by the base or stand 12, on a supporting surface, with its longitudinal axis at an angle of about 45 to the horizontal. The cylinder 16 may be of greater length than required for the purposes of a hopper for the apparatus and may be provided with a bottom wall 14 and a partition 16, disposed at a midpoint of the cylinder parallel to the bottom wall 14 and at right angles to its longitudinal axis. The bottom wall 14- may be secured in place in any desired manner, as by the extension 18 of the stand 12, and the partition may be supported from the bottom wall and stand extension by spacing posts, as 22.

The bottom wall 14 may serve to support, centrally thereof, a motor 24- on the interior of the cylinder 10, with the motor shaft 26 at right angles to the wall 14 and partition 16. The shaft 26 may carry a sleeve hearing 30, which may extend through a central opening 28, formed in the partition 16 and project to both sides thereof. The bearing 30 may be journalled in a fixed bearing 32, held in the opening 28. The bearing may be steadied in place by the centrally apertured studs 34, which are fitted over extensions thereof to each side of the partition 16 and are each secured to the partition in any desired manner.

The sleeve bearing 30 projects above the upper of the studs 34 but terminates short of the upper edgeof the cylinder 10; such end forming a shoulder or surface on which is supported a circular plate 36, which fits closely but freely Within the cylinder and defines, with the portion of the cylinder wall extending above it, the hopper 50. The plate 36 is operatively connected to the motor shaft 26, as by means of a sleeve 38, which fits over and is secured to the portion of the bearing sleeve projecting above the upper stud 34; such sleeve 38 being formed with a laterally offset flange 40, which is secured to the underside of the plate 36.

The plate 36 is formed with a marginal peripheral portion of reduced thickness, forming a recess or track 42 in its upper surface of substantially rectangular cross-sec tion. While such recess may be produced by grinding or similar cutting-away process, it may preferably be attained by utilizing two concentrically disposed plates 44' and 46, with the upper plate 46 being of lesser diameter so as to leave a track 42 of a Width slightly larger than the diameter of a disc or washer 48 that is to be fed, and of a thickness not exceeding the thickness of the disc or washer 48. Such formation of the plate 36 is not only easier and more economical, but permits of making the plate 46 removably secured on the plate 44, so as to make the plate 36 variable by varying the plate 46, to provide tracks 42 of different widths for use with articles of different diameters.

It will be apparent that, when a plurality of fiat circular articles such as the washers 48,- or the like, are placed within the hopper portion 50 of the cylinder 10, such articles will come to rest as a pile in the lower corner of the hopper 50, on the plate 36, and that, as the plate 36 is rotated by the motor, as in the clockwise direction indicated in FIG. 2, a number of the lowermost discs in the pile will be wholly or partly disposed within the track arcane-e 42 andwill be carried along within it to the top of the hopper, where those that are only partly within the track 42 will drop back to the lower corner of the hopper, by gravity, while those wholly within the track will be retained therein by the inner wall of the track, and be carried over to the right side of the hopper where means may be provided for removing them from the track.

Such disc-removing means may comprise a ramp 52, which may consist of a metal strip 56, set at an angle to the surface of plate 36, with its end 58 in substantial contact with the floor of the track 42, preferably at a point coinciding, substantially, with the horizontal diameter of the hopper 50. The ramp 52 extends to the exterior of the hopper 50 through the opening 60 formed in the wall of the hopper, and is provided with raised edges 62 to retain the discs 48 in their descent thereon. The ramp 52 may be supported in any desired, suitable manner and may be connected, where required, with a vibrating device for speeding the descent of the articles fed thereto.

For feeding discs that have one sharp or right-angled edge and one rounded or bevelled edge, the track 42 may be made sufficiently shallow, so that when such disc is disposed within the track, with its curved or bevelled edge downwardly disposed, it will slide out of the track when at the top of the hopper, by gravity, and only those discs in the track with their sharp corner down retained Within the track and moved on to the ramp 52. By these means, all of the discs fed are uniformly oriented as they emerge from the hopper. It may here be stated that, when required, an inverting mechanism may be interposed at the foot of the ramp 52 to invert such fed discs to dispose them with their curved or beveled edge down; such inverting mechanism not being shown, as it does not constitute part of this invention.

It will be understood that where the edges or corners of the discs are bevelled or curved to different degrees, the track 42 may be made sufficiently deep to retain within it only those discs entering into it with their lesser bevel or curve down, but sufiiciently shallow to enable those discs entering it with their greater bevel or curve down to slide out therefrom, by gravity, when at the top of the hopper.

In order to improve the rate of feeding by the rotary plate 36, circumferentially-spaced pins 64 may be set into the floor of the track 42, preferably of a height to project slightly above the plate; such pins assuring a pick-up of discs 48 from the pile at the lower corner of the hopper into the track 42 and the pushing of the picked-up discs upwardly with the rotation of the plate 36. An escape slot 66 is provided in the lead end 58 of the ramp 52 to avoid interference with and to clear the movement of the pins 64.

. Where appropriate or feasible, as when solid discs, rather than washer-like ones, as illustrated, are to be fed by the apparatus, a pair of radially-spaced pins or other projections may be substituted for each pin 64; in the latter event, an escape slot 66 may be provided in the lead edge portion of the ramp 52 for each of such pins or projections.

In the modification of FIGS. 4 and 5, in orderv to provide easier and more certain pick-up of the discs by the ramp 52 from the track 42, an annular groove 68 is formed in the floor of the track 42 and the ramp- 52 is provided with a tongue 70 in its lead edge, which fits into such groove 68. Such arrangement is most suitable where the push pins 64 are dispensed with, or Where radially-spaced push pins are utilized. In the latter event, the escape slots may be located to each side of the tongue 70, in a manner readily understood and not thought necessary to be specifically illustrated.

d, This completes the description of the automatic discfeeding mechanism of the present invention, and the mannerof its operation. It will be clear that such apparatus a is capable of feeding discs of varying cross-section and of orienting the same to dispose them in uniform position on the exit ramp of the apparatus. It will also be clear that such apparatus is of relatively simple construction; that it is highly efiicient for its purposes and will feed articles of the type for which it is intended at a high rate of speed; in completely unscrambled relation; that it is unlikely to jam or go out of order; that it is light weight and economical to use because it may utilize a relatively smaller motor; and that it is quiet in its operation.

It will be further apparent that numerous variations and modifications in the apparatus of the present invention may be made by anyone skilled in the art, in accordance with the principles of the invention hereinabove set forth and without the exercise of any inventive ingenuity. I desire, therefore, to be protected for any and all such variations and modifications that'may be made within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the claims hereto appended.

What I claim is:

1. Automatic feeding apparatus for disc-shaped articles, comprising a hollow, open-top, cylindrical housing, means supporting said housing with its longitudinal axis at an angle to the vertical, a circular plate closely and freely disposed within said housing in inwardly spaced relation to said open top thereof and in a plane at right angles to said axis, a motor, means operatively connecting said plate with said motor for rotation within said'housing in said plane, said plate having a peripheral marginal edge portion thereof of reduced thickness forming a recess in the upper surface thereof, said recess of a width equal at least to the diameter of an article to be fed and of a depth not exceeding the thickness of such article-the inner wall of said recess and the wall of said housing delining a circular track circumferentially spaced pin proections provided on the floor of said track, and a ramp set at an angle to the surface of said circular plate, said ramp having its lead end portion extending into said recess and substantially in contact with the floor thereof, in position to receive thereon articles moved by said plate and extending to the exterior of said housing and a longitudinally-extending cut-out formed in the lead end of said ramp to provide clearance for said pin, projections.

2. The automatic feeding apparatus of claim 1, wherein said circular plate comprises a pair of superposed concentrically arranged discs, the upper of said discs being of a diameter less than the lower one, to thereby provide the reduced end portion of said plate.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS SAMUEL F. COLEMAN, Primary Examiner.

/ EDWARD A. SROKA, ERNEST A. FALLER, 1a.,

' Examiners. 

1. AUTOMATIC FEEDING APPARATUS FOR DISC-SHAPED ARTICLES, COMPRISING A HOLLOW, OPEN-TOP, CYLINDRICAL HOUSING, MEANS SUPPORTING SAID HOUSING WITH ITS LONGITUDINAL AXIS AT AN ANGLE TO THE VERTICAL, A CIRCULAR PLATE CLOSELY AND FREELY DISPOSED WITHIN SAID HOUSING IN INWARDLY SPACED RELATION TO SAID OPEN TOP THEREOF AND IN A PLANE AT RIGHT ANGLES TO SAID AXIS, A MOTOR, MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTING SAID PLATE WITH SAID MOTOR FOR ROTATION WITHIN SAID HOUSING IN SAID PLANE, SAID PLATE HAVING A PERIPHERAL MARGINAL EDGE PORTION THEREOF OF REDUCED THICKNESS FORMING A RECESS IN THE UPPER SURFACE THEREOF, SAID RECESS OF A WIDTH EQUAL AT LEAST TO THE DIAMETER OF AN ARTICLE TO BE FED AND OF A DEPTH NOT EXCEEDING THE THICKNESS OF SUCH ARTICLE, THE INNER WALL OF SAID RECESS AND THE WALL OF SAID HOUSING DEFINING A CIRCULAR TRACK CIRCUMFERENTIALLY SPACED PIN PROJECTIONS PROVIDED ON THE FLOOR OF SAID TRACK, AND A RAMP SET AT AN ANGLE TO THE SURFACE OF SAID CIRCULAR PLATE, SAID RAMP HAVING ITS LEAD END PORTION EXTENDING INTO SAID RECESS AND SUBSTANTIALLY IN CONTACT WITH THE FLOOR THEREOF, IN POSITION TO RECEIVE THEREON ARTICLES MOVED BY SAID PLATE AND EXTENDING TO THE EXTERIOR OF SAID HOUSING AND A LONGITUDINALLY-EXTENDING CUT-OUT FORMED IN THE LEAD END OF SAID RAMP TO PROVIDE CLEARANCE FOR SAID PIN PROJECTIONS. 